New and Newer in Santa Fe This Summer, Two Brand-New Quintets from Veterans— and a Piano Quartet from a Relative Youngster
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New and Newer In Santa Fe this summer, two brand-new quintets from veterans— and a piano quartet from a relative youngster John Stege hen we think “chamber music festival,” we probably take it for granted that by an instrumentalist will be running the artistic end of the operation. Of W course, said instrumentalist will also have a gift for overseeing the detail, Part of an ongoing series spotlighting detail, detail that makes for a successful festival. But that artistic director started out as a performances supported by the NEA’s pianist or a cellist, say. Not as an administrator. American Masterpieces: Think Marlboro/Serkin, Chamber Music Northwest/Shifrin. Or come up with your Chamber Music initiative own longish list. Still, another kind of festival claims our attention, the composer-driven affair, notable among them Britten-Knussen-Adès at Aldeburgh, Menotti at both Spoletos, The Late June, July & August calendar and a very few others. Now add the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and its artistic of American Masterpieces director since 1998, Marc Neikrug. Granted, the man is a pianist and accompanist who activities can be seen on page 14. performs frequently at his own festival and elsewhere. But for Neikrug, composing comes An updated calendar will appear on first. And performing? A distant second. www.chamber-music.org and This helps to explain Santa Fe’s longstanding interest in commissioning and performing will include recently funded programs new music. The NEA American Masterpieces: Chamber Music grants, while not directly presented in May and early June 2010. supporting commissions, have been, both last season and this, deeply supportive of Santa Some of the works being performed are Fe’s new-music initiatives. Neikrug and Santa Fe’s executive director, Steven Ovitsky, acknowledged American classics, channel the grant money into pre-concert discussions and masterclasses featuring com- others are worthy but little known posers of newly commissioned works. They’re taped for quick access via the festival’s and rarely performed, and still others website and play an important archival role as well. are very recent commissions. During Santa Fe’s current season, three American composers will premiere commis- sioned pieces, with commentary on their own work available online, courtesy of the NEA and the festival’s commitment to making new music as available as possible. We’ll be hearing from the young Manhattan-based composer Cynthia Lee Wong, the distinguished Cambodian American Chinary Ung, and Steven Stucky, whose Concerto for Orchestra won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for music. Neikrug met Wong two years ago, when the New York Philharmonic premiered one of his pieces. They talked, “something resonated,” Neikrug says, and she sent him a CD of her work. “I was frankly amazed by her level of accomplishment and sent along a copy of the CD to Oliver Knussen. He seconded, enthusiastically, my appreciation for Cynthia’s remarkable talent.” The next big thing? A co-commission, with the La Jolla Music Society, for Wong’s Piano Quartet, to be premiered August 5. 12 july/august 2010 Cynthia Wong Augusta Read Thomas had taken an York Philharmonic’s Hear & Now series; interest in Wong’s work, commissioning his book on Lutoslawski is definitive; and a string quartet for Tanglewood’s Festival he’s an acclaimed teacher at Cornell, num- of Contemporary Music last summer. It’s bering Roberto Sierra among his students. a logical step from there to writing a Piano As Neikrug points out, “Steven has long been Quartet, and Wong comments, “I love an integral part of our musical world.” the form. But mine isn’t tied to any par- Stucky’s Piano Quintet, premiering at ticular genre or historical precedent. It’s a Santa Fe August 11, evolved after conver- piece for four instruments. The commis- sations among the composer, Neikrug, sion asked for eight to ten minutes of deep attention to detail and texture. With and Chamber Music Northwest’s David music. And when I started to write, I Ung, you feel there’s always an inward Shifrin, a co-commissioner of the piece. wasn’t sure where this was going to go.” searching.” The AKASA premiere, also a Asked about the process, Stucky jokes, But as she began to compose, something co-commission with the La Jolla Music “Well, it was a bit like writing my String emerged. “It surprised me. I discovered a Society, will feature five players: the Real Quartet, Nell’ombra, nella luce. Only 20 stillness, a darkness, that I hadn’t really Quiet trio (cello, piano, percussion), viola, perent more. I’ve always had a close con- known about. Granted, every process for and pipa. Says Neikrug, “It’s a rich palette nection with chamber music, starting as a developing a piece can be different, but with all the sounds Ung needs. Chinary kid playing the viola in Kansas and Texas. this was totally unexpected. I spent a lot takes time for his work, so this was an early I was enthusiastic, but not very good. The of time alone. My life slowed down. It commission. But when he‘s done with it, Brahms quintet just blew me away, still was like a dream, but enjoyable. I could it‘s perfect.” does, so now’s my chance, I guess. It feels feel plenty of ‘space’ in the piece.” Ung teaches at the University of Cali- a bit like hopping on the last car while the Wong had been reading Edgar Allen fornia at San Diego, and Felix Fan, the train’s pulling away.” Poe’s “Ligeia,” a story notable for its delib- cellist with Real Quiet, grew up in nearby The Stucky work is a single movement, erate pacing and uncanny inwardness. She La Jolla. They’ve known one another for played without pause. “I think it’s a friendly thinks some of that modality found its a long time, and Fan is a big admirer of piece. There’s nothing theoretical or abstract way into the quartet, albeit unconsciously. Ung’s work. Last summer Real Quiet’s about it. I’ve even marked one section of Specific portions of Poe’s text seem to Santa Fe performance of Spiral 1 (1987) the score ‘Rollicking.’ The piece plays with contain particular relevance to her work, may have helped spark this latest in a series the contrast between primary emotions— she feels, but the score doesn’t cite these. of Ung’s “spirals.” The composer asked Fan drawn-out introspection vs. boisterous “Many of my other works have been quick and the ensemble if they were comfortable hyperactivity.” and busy, maybe a reflection of life in with vocalization. They are, and the new Any allusions? “Oh, no. At least not inten- Manhattan. The Piano Quartet just goes work will include whistling, chanting, tional. But if someone heard Shostakovich deeper, I think.” speaking, and singing. in the slower, intimate sections or Bartók in “Space” plays a major role in another David Cossin, Real Quiet’s percussionist, the fast passages, it wouldn’t bother me.” summer premiere at Santa Fe: Chinary added, “With Chinary, every sound, every Do you compose “American” music? “Well, Ung’s AKASA: Formless Spiral, to be heard color counts—he gets exactly what he I never really thought so. But at a rehearsal August 6. The Pali word akasa means space, wants.” Also, the AKASA project has a of one of my pieces for the LA Philharmonic, and Ung comments that the new piece special intimacy. “He’s writing for people a colleague turned to me and asked, ‘Are expresses “two worlds: that of limited he knows well. Our trio, of course—plus you from the Midwest?’” space—physical space with a localized Wu Man, who plays pipa, and his wife, sound and sonority; and infinite space— Susan, who will be our violist.” conceptual, spiritual space.” The third of Santa Fe’s NEA-connected John Stege has degrees from Harvard and the Neikrug has known Ung since their days composers, Steven Stucky, has been a major, University of New Mexico. He is emeritus at Tanglewood in 1970. “He’s a composer multi-talented player on America’s con- professor of English Literature at Mercer of great stature and maturity. (Ung received temporary music stage for years. He holds University and the author of Therapy and the prestigious Grawemeyer Award in 1989, a record tenure, 1988-2009, as composer- Resolution in Shakespearean Comedy. He the first American to do so.) His music is in-residence with the Los Angeles Phil- has written on opera and chamber music for hugely personal, with inner delicacy and harmonic; he made his mark with the New The Santa Fe Reporter since 1986. 13 Vicki Ray, “Jugg[ular]ing”; Rand Steiger, “awhirl”; David Stock, Sueños de Sefarad for String Quartet (Meridian Rosenboom, “Twilight Language” (Vicky Ray, piano) Quartet: Anastasia Storer, Claude Halter, Emiko Karen 7/17 Cello & Piano Works (Ashley Bathgate, cello; Vicky Matsumaru, Anne Lee) 8/1 Gershwin, Selections from Chow, piano; also piano, guitar, violin, cello, percussion, Porgy and Bess (Arturo Delmoni, violin; Wendy Chen, electronics 7/19 Cello, Piano, & Violin: works by George piano); Artie Shaw Concerto for Clarinet (Mark Nuccio, Crumb, Shaun Naidoo, Salvatore Sciarrino, & Mischa clarinet; Mike Garson, piano; Erik Privert, bass; Dave Zupko (Nick Photinos, cello; Vicky Ray, piano; Todd Brophy, drums); Mike Garson Variations on a Theme Performances in Reynolds, violin) 7/20 The String Quartet 7/21 of Paganini (Andrés Cárdenes, violin; Mike Garson, Late June, July Martin Bresnick 7/22 Gregg August (Gregg August, piano); Mike Garson, The Immigrant (Andrés Cárdenes, bass, et al.) 7/23 LaMonte Young and Others (Christine violin; Monique Mead, violin; Arturo Delmoni, viola; & August Southworth, robots & electronics;